STRATEGY EVOLVES IN CROWDED
FIELD FOR MAYOR SEAT

40 have filed, but 3 seen as contenders

Forty people have filed an intent to run for mayor of San Diego, but if money and endorsements are any indication — and they are — the list of major contenders sits at three.

City Council members David Alvarez and Kevin Faulconer along with former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher have been racking up endorsements by the day and political power brokers have set up campaign vehicles to funnel millions into the race on their behalf. One group, which is backing Fletcher, plans to spend $3.6 million to help him in the Nov. 19 special election.

A fourth high-profile candidate is former City Attorney Michael Aguirre, who doesn’t yet have any major financial backer besides himself.

U-T San Diego obtained emails from key political consultants who back Alvarez and Fletcher that were circulated widely to each candidate’s supporters as they tried to solidify endorsements within Democratic circles. One details the strategy to get Fletcher elected while the other details possible talking points Alvarez may use to defeat Fletcher.

Each man is almost certainly the other’s biggest obstacle to finishing in the top two in the special election and securing a spot in a runoff that will likely be held in February.

Most analysts expect one of those spots to go to Faulconer, the lone high-profile Republican in the race.

In a Sept. 11 memo to Fletcher supporters, political consultant Matt David detailed why the campaign committee he set up to support Fletcher called “Restoring Trust in San Diego” needs to raise millions to get him elected. He said Fletcher’s recent switch from Republican to independent to Democrat will cause him to be attacked repeatedly throughout the race.

“He hasn’t had the chance to tell his story to the broader electorate,” David wrote. “That means we will need to spend money to explain his switch to those voters — money other candidates will not have to spend. This is also a vulnerability on which Nathan would likely be attacked, and we will need to have the resources to provide a solid response to that attack. … The bottom line is that his party switch will mean his campaign will cost more to run than it otherwise would.”

David, who served as Fletcher’s senior campaign adviser during last year’s failed mayoral bid but will act independently this time around, pegged the total spending for his committee at $3.6 million. He said supporters expect Faulconer to have strong financial backing, including from U-T San Diego Publisher Douglas T. Manchester.

Manchester was out of the country Wednesday and unavailable for comment.

A pro-Faulconer committee dubbed “San Diegans to Protect Jobs and the Economy” is being run by Republican accountant April Boling while a pro-Alvarez committee — “Working Families for a Better San Diego” — has been established by the influential San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.

All three of those PACs raise and spend money independently of the candidates and play a major role because they can collect unlimited amounts of money from unions, businesses and individuals. Candidates are limited to $1,000 per individual and $20,000 from a political party.

Political consultant Larry Remer, who supports Alvarez, refused to say whether he is helping the Labor Council or any other group backing Alvarez, but he sent an email Tuesday night that was widely distributed to Democrats. He said Fletcher has “very serious negatives” and he rattled off a list of past mayoral candidates — Peter Q. Davis, Steve Francis and Ron Roberts — who lost despite heavy financial backing similar to what Fletcher has.

“I don’t want to go into the gory details of how somebody like Karl Rove can and will filet and fry Nathan because I don’t want to give Papa Doug (Manchester) and his ilk any new ideas,” Remer wrote. “But, trust me, that’s what’s coming.”

Richard Barrera, head of the Labor Council, also declined to say whether Remer would be involved in the group’s pro-Alvarez PAC.

“The importance is that it’s the vehicle for working families in San Diego to come together and support David’s candidacy,” he said. “It provides an opportunity for organizations that support David to put resources in and help him get elected. We expect to raise significant resources and will also have tremendous volunteer energy from union members and working families willing to knock on doors and make phone calls on his behalf.”

As far as endorsements, Alvarez has been on a hot streak since entering the race on Sept. 9 well after Fletcher and Faulconer. The first-term councilman picked up the support of former Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña on Wednesday and is expected to receive former Councilwoman Donna Frye’s endorsement Thursday.

Saldaña considered running herself but decided to step aside because she and Alvarez shared the same core values — concern for the environment, neighborhood amenities and working families. She also noted their age difference; she’s 54 and he’s 33.

“I think this is really David’s time,” she said. “He’s a young man, he’s really forward and future looking. I think young people have very different ideas about women as equals and working effectively.”

The other candidates were busy Wednesday as well. Fletcher picked up the endorsement of the Neighborhood Market Association, a group of independent markets. Faulconer turned in the official paperwork for his candidacy at City Hall. And Aguirre penned an open letter to voters on his official website —
mikeformayor.org.

Candidates have until Friday to get their names officially on the Nov. 19 ballot.

The first debate among the major candidates is also set for Friday. Hosted by the Asian Business Association, it begins at 3:15 p.m. at The Westin San Diego Hotel in downtown. The debate will be broadcast on U-T TV at 7 p.m. that night.